Italy Grants US$ 1.2 Million for Heritage Preservation and Development in Afghanistan

UNESCO and the Ministry of Information and Culture launch a Project for Preserving Afghanistan Cultural Heritage.

UNESCO has received a grant of US$ 1.2 million from the Government of Italy for Heritage Conservation, Development and Coordination in Afghanistan. This important project will be jointly implemented by the UNESCO Kabul Office and different departments of the Ministry of Information and Culture throughout the country, with an operational focus on the conservation of the Islamic Citadel of Shar-i-Gholgholah at the World Heritage Site of Bamiyan.

With the grant from the Government of Italy, UNESCO and the Government of Afghanistan will, among others, undertake the following activities:

Conservation and development of the World Heritage property of the Islamic Citadel of Shar-i-Gholgholah (Bamiyan);

Training and capacity-building with government officials on heritage conservation, management, dossier preparation, prevention of illicit traffic of antiquities;

Assist in promoting culture management through international and national conferences such as the Second International Conference for the Safeguarding of Afghanistan’s Cultural Heritage and a National Conference on Ghazni, Islamic Cultural Capital 2013;

Raise awareness on the need for heritage protection and the potential role of culture in human, social and economic development.

The project will aim at building capacity of experts from different departments of the Ministry of Information and Culture to enhance long-term sustainable cultural heritage management and conservation in Afghanistan.